Personal Narratives: Introduction

I got the news that I passed the Foreign Service Officer Test on the 26th. Today I also got the instructions for writing the Personal Narratives -- the next step in the process.

"To help write your PN, focus on your own experience in answering the questions. Use these precepts as a guide to (1) give positive examples that demonstrate your abilities; (2) identify learning experiences; and (3) indicate how your learning experience will contribute to success in your chosen Foreign Service career track. Make sure you show why you have skills or interest in the career track you have selected. Please make sure you answer the question.

"Although the QEP is a total file review, with no one element dominating all the factors considered, you have the most control over your responses to the PN. Your responses can be influential in determining your standing in your chosen career track. This is your chance to tell your story to the Foreign Service assessors. Bear in mind that your responses are subject to verification by the Board of Examiners.

"Once the QEP is completed, Pearson VUE will inform you of the results via an online letter that you can access using the personal login ID and password you chose when registering. In recent years, more than 20,000 candidates have taken the Foreign Service Officer Test annually. A much smaller number advance to the QEP review, and then only a few hundred are invited to the Oral Assessment.

"Please note that Foreign Service Officer candidate hiring targets are adjusted regularly. Many candidates with excellent qualifications who may have received an invitation to the Oral Assessment at a time of increased hiring authority will not receive one when the Department's hiring targets are lower or if there is an increase in the number of candidates. The process is highly competitive, and many candidates repeat the process.

"Key values to show:

1. Leadership: innovation, decision making, teamwork, openness to dissent, community service and institution building
2. Interpersonal Skills: professional standards, persuasion and negotiation, workplace perceptiveness, adaptability, representational skills
3. Communication Skills: written communication, oral communication, active listening, public outreach, foreign language skill
4. Management Skills: operational effectiveness, performance management and evaluation, management resources, customer service
5. Intellectual Skills: information gathering and analysis, critical thinking, active learning, leadership and management training
6. Substantive Knowledge: Understanding of U.S. history/ government/culture and application in dealing with other cultures. Knowledge or application of career track information that is relevant information.

So, I have six essays to write, each of them no more than 1300 characters long, due by July 11th. I'll include them here so that -- whether pass or fail -- someone can at least benchmark what I did.